Direct Mail

Generic Marketing Services makes use of direct mail in developing marketing plans for most of our clients.

What is Direct Mail Marketing?

Direct mail makes use of the United States Postal Service to send a message to customers in order to prompt an immediate response.

The message that is sent can take many different formats. The most familiar formats include postcards, flyers, brochures, and letters.

The message can be sent alone using the same material as the message itself (such as a postcard) or can be enclosed in a package (such as an envelope or box).

The mailing can be sent out in bulk to entire neighborhoods or every every resident in a zip code. Or the mailing can be high targeted to individuals that match certain demographics or to a particular group of customers.

Why Use Direct Mail?

Targeted marketing using direct mail can increase sales dramatically.

While direct mail may seem out-of-date, in this era of high tech communication it can be a unique way for your business to connect with customers. It’s a way of distinguishing yourself from all the noise and clutter which are bombarding people on their cellphones and emails.

Marketing that is highly targeted to a particular group of customers and personalized as much as is practical, always yields the best results in a direct mail campaign. This is the opposite of doing mass mailouts addressed to “dear resident” and commonly referred to as junk mail.

The use of direct mail requires a commitment to keep doing mailouts. It’s a long term activity that is part of a bigger marketing plan.

The Mailing List

The list is the most important aspect in a direct mail campaign.

Your Current List

The best list to start with is the one you already own. It may be the list of your current customers or the people saved on your cell phone and email contact lists.

Don’t Forget:

You are collecting the names contact information of your customers, right? If not, you must start capturing this information from this point forward and it must include their mailing address.

Mailing Lists for Sale

The next step is to buy a mailing list. While lists that are highly targeted to the particular customer you want to reach.

The criteria that can be selected when buying a mailing list can be highly detailed. The main thing to remember is that with a good list, you can target your marketing efforts more effectively and communicate your message to the right audience.

Testing the Lists

Direct mail marketing that works best over time is the result of testing lists and types of mailouts. In addition to merely sending out a message, each mailout should always be a test where results can be tracked and compared to other previous mail outs and to sub-groups of customers in the list.

Tracking the results of every mailout will enable you to get better results in subsequent mailings.